Cubs Rumors: Dansby Swanson Agrees to 7-Year, $177M Contract with No-Trade Clause

The last major player on the free agent market is leaving the Atlanta Braves.

The Chicago Cubs are close to a deal with Swanson. The seven year pact is for $177 million and has a no trade clause.

Six months after the draft, the Atlanta Braves traded Dansby Swanson to them as part of a deal for two pitchers.

Swanson was brought up to the big leagues by the Braves. He had a.240/.314/.380 slash line and 37 homers in 407 games over the course of his career.

Since the start of the 2020 season, Dansby has been one of the best all-around in baseball.

He was named to the NL All-Star squad for the first time. He was 11th among all MLB players with 6.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement and hit.279/.329/.478 with 25 homers and 18 stolen bases.

He has been one of the best defensive players in baseball. He was rewarded for his hard work with a Gold Glove in 2022.

He chose the right time to have his best season.

He had never had a season in which he was worth more than 3 fWAR. He has not missed a game in the past three seasons and is one of the most durable players in baseball.

For years to come, the Cubs will bet on Swanson being an All-Star. In the last 59 games of the year, he had a slash line of.243/.289/.408.

It's a small sample that doesn't change what he did in the first four months of the season, but it will be interesting to see if he can become a high-ceiling hitter.

Since their run of four consecutive playoff appearances, the Cubs have fallen on hard times. They made the playoffs during the shortened 2020 campaign, but have not made it since.

The main parts of the World Series roster were gutted by ownership, and they have not made a lot of big splashes in free agency recently. The roster was a long way from being competitive despite the team making moves last winter.

The signing of Swanson is the first sign that the club is serious about pulling itself out of the rough patch. He's got a lot of talent and will be in his prime for a long time.

This is a big swing for the Cubs as they try to catch the St. LouisCardinals in the NL Central.